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Switzerland
The precursors of Switzerland established a protective alliance at the end of the 13th century, forming a loose confederation of states which persisted for centuries. The first and second century AD were an age of prosperity for the population living on the Swiss plateau. Several towns, like Iulia Equestris and Augusta Raurica, reached a remarkable size, while hundreds of agricultural estates were founded in the countryside. In 260 AD, the fall of the Agri Decumates territory north of the Rhine transformed today's Switzerland into a frontier land of the Empire. Repeated raids by the Alamanni tribes provoked the ruin of the Roman towns and economy, which includes the Castrum Rauracense near Augusta Raurica. The Empire built another line of defense at the north border, but at the end of the fourth century the increased Germanic pressure forced the Romans to abandon the linear defence concept, and the Swiss plateau was finally open to the settlement of German tribes. In the Early Middle Ages the western extent of modern-day Switzerland was part of the territory of the Kings of the Burgundians. The Alemanni settled the Swiss plateau in the 5th century and the valleys of the Alps in the 8th century, forming Alemannia. Modern-day Switzerland was therefore then divided between the kingdoms of Alemannia and Burgundy. The entire region became part of the expanding Frankish Empire in the 6th century, following Clovis The First's victory over the Alemanni at Tolbiac in 504 AD. Throughout the rest of the 7th century the Swiss regions continued under the Carolingian dynasty. But after its extension under Charlemagne, the Frankish empire was divided by the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD. By 1200, the Swiss plateau comprised the dominions of the houses of Zähringer and Kyburg. Some regions were accorded the Imperial immediacy to grant the empire direct control over the mountain passes. With the extinction of its male line in 1263, the Kyburg dynasty fell in 1264, then the Habsburgs under King Rudolph I laid claim to the Kyburg lands and annexed them extending their territory to the eastern Swiss plateau. 752 years after King Rudolph I laid claim to the Kyburg lands, Reagan Farmer revealed a new trend for his other videos by uploading Switzerland in January 2016 as part of the country's long history of armed neutrality. Modern Switzerland is a federal directorial republic consisting of 26 cantons, which are called the Bundesstadt or the federal cities. Switzerland is situated in Western and Central Europe, where it is bordered by Italy to the south, Germany to the north and Austria and Liechtenstein. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km. Geneva was ranked as the world's ninth most important financial centre for competitiveness by the Global Financial Centres Index ahead of Frankfurt, which was third in Europe behind London and Zürich. A 2009 survey by Mercer found that Geneva has the third-highest quality of life of any city in the world. The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis and the Peace Capital. In 2009, Geneva was ranked as the fourth most expensive city in the world, and again in 2011, when it was ranked as the fifth most expensive city in the world. Permanently settled for around 2000 years, Zürich has a history that goes back to its founding by the Romans who called it Turicum in 15 BC. However, early settlements have been found dating back more than 6400 years ago. During the Middle Ages Zürich gained the independent and privileged status of imperial immediacy. In 1519, it became a primary centre of the Protestant Reformation in Europe under the leadership of Ulrich Zwingli. Zürich is a leading global city and among the world's largest financial centres despite a relatively low population. The city is home to a large number of financial institutions and banking giants. Most of Switzerland's research and development centres are concentrated in Zürich and the low tax rates attract overseas companies to set up their headquarters. Monocle's 2012 "Quality of Life Survey" ranked Zürich first on a list of the top 25 cities in the world "to make a base within." According to several surveys from 2006 to 2008, Zürich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world as well as the wealthiest city in Europe. The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Ranking sees Zürich rank among the top ten most liveable cities in the world. Geneva is located at 46°12' North 6°09' East at the south-western end of Lake Geneva. Geneva is surrounded by the Alps and the Jura. The range is built up vertically while decreasing in size laterally. This deformation accommodates the compression from alpine folding as the main Alpine orogenic front moves roughly northwards. The deformation becomes less pervasive away from the younger, more active Alpine mountain building. The geologic folds comprise three major bands of building that date from three epochs: the Lias, the Dogger, and the Malm geologic periods. Each era of folding reveals effects of previously shallow marine environments as evidenced by beds with carbonate sequences, containing abundant bioclasts and oolitic divisions between layers. The Jura consists of a sequence of geologic folds, the formation of which is facilitated by an evaporitic decollement layer. The box folds are still relatively young, thus revealing recent mountain building. Despite the fact that Switzerland covers only 14% of the Alps total area, many alpine four-thousanders are located in the Swiss Alps and practically all of the remaining few are within 20 km of the country's border. The Alps are usually divided into two main parts, the Western Alps and Eastern Alps, whose division is along the Rhine from Lake Constance to the Splügen Pass. The western ranges occupy the greatest part of Switzerland while the more numerous eastern ranges are much smaller and are all situated in the canton of Graubünden. The latter are part of the Central Eastern Alps except the Ortler Alps which belong to the Southern Limestone Alps. The Bernina Range is the highest ranges of the country; it contains 1 summit over 4000 metres. The lowest range is the Appenzell Alps culminating at 2,500 metres. During the years 2000–2009, the mean yearly temperature was 11°C and the mean number of sunshine-hours per year was 2003. The highest temperature recorded in Genève–Cointrin was 103.5°F in July 2015 and the lowest temperature recorded was -4.0°F in February 1956. Zürich has an oceanic climate, with four seasons. Decisive for the climate of Zürich are both the winds from westerly directions, and, on the other hand, the Bise (east or north-east wind), which is usually associated with cooler weather phases with temperatures lower than the average. The annual mean temperature at the measuring station of the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology in Zürich-Fluntern is 48.7°F. There are 30 so-called summer days throughout the year, while so-called heat days are 5.8 days. The climate of Geneva is temperate, oceanic. Winters are cold, usually with light frosts at night and thawing conditions during the day. Summers are pleasantly warm. Precipitation is adequate and is relatively well-distributed throughout the year, although autumn is slightly wetter than the other seasons. Ice storms near Lac Léman are quite normal in the winter. In the summer, many people enjoy swimming in Lake Geneva, and frequently patronise public beaches such as Genève Plage and the Bains des Pâquis. Geneva receives snow in the colder months of the year. The nearby mountains are subject to substantial snowfall and are suitable for skiing. Many world-renowned ski resorts such as Verbier and Crans-Montana are just over two hours away by car. Mont Salève, just across the border in France, dominates the southerly view from the city centre. Mont Blanc is visible from most of the city and is one of the closest French skiing destinations to Geneva. Spring and autumn are generally cool to mild, but sometimes with large differences between warm and cold days even during the same year. The highest temperature of the month March in 2014 was on the 20th at 69.1°F during a sunny afternoon and the lowest temperature was on the 25th at 31.3°F during the night. Record low of average daily temperatures in March since 1864 is 10°F and record high of average daily temperatures in March is 61°F. Record low of average daily temperatures in October is 3°F and record high of average daily temperatures in October is 20°C. Zürich has an average of 1,544 hours of sunshine per year and shines on 38% of its potential time throughout the year. During the months April until September the sun shines between 150 and 215 hours per month. Rainfall spread on 133.9 days with precipitation throughout the year. Roughly about every third day, you will encounter at least some precipitation. During the warmer half of the year and especially during the three summer months the strength of rainfall is higher than those measured in winter, but the days with precipitation stays about the same throughout the year. October has the lowest number of days with some precipitation. There is an average of 59.5 so-called bright days through the year, the most in July and August, and the least in January and December. The average number of days with sunshine duration less than 20%, so-called cloudy days, is 158.4 days. The best time to visit Zürich is between the months June and August when average temperatures make swimming in Lake Geneva possible. However, summer's hospitable climate also makes it the most expensive season to visit. But if you visit in the winter, you might be able to find chilly weather. Along with a warm coat, make sure to bring your hat, scarf, and mittens. Temperatures can dip to 28.9°F in December (Brrr!). The Swiss Confederation's establishment is dated to 1st August 1291, celebrated annually as Swiss National Day. Switzerland hosted the 1954 FIFA World Cup and was the joint host of the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, joining forces with Austria. In 2009, Switzerland hosted the IIHF World Championship for the 10th time. The numerous lakes make Switzerland an attractive place for sailing. Lake Geneva is the home of the sailing team Alinghi which was the first European team to win the America's Cup in 2003 and successfully defended the title in 2007. Tennis has become an increasingly popular sport and Swiss players such as Roger Federer have won multiple Grand Slams. Towards the end of Lap 35, Pierre Levegh was following Mike Hawthorn's leading Jaguar D-Type. Hawthorn passed Lance Macklin's Austin Healey 100S. Hawthorn moved across Macklin's path and slowed suddenly to enter the pits. Attempting to avoid Hawthorn Macklin's car briefly remained on the right side of the track behind Hawthorn, kicking up dust with its right wheels, then swerved across the center of the track. Macklin was apparently out of control as he started to swerve, but regained direction after crossing the centerline. But by then Macklin was in the path of Levegh, still at speed in front of Juan Manuel Fangio. Levegh did not have time to react. Levegh's car made contact with the left rear of Macklin's car as he closed rapidly upon the car. When Levegh's Mercedes 300 SLR hit Macklin's Austin-Healey from behind his car became airborne and soared towards the left side of the track. It skipped the earthen embankment separating the spectator area from the track, bounced through spectator enclosures, then hit a concrete stairwell structure head-on. The impact disintegrated the front end of the car which then somersaulted high, pitching debris into the spectator area, and landed atop the earthen embankment. The debris included the bonnet, motor and front axle which separated from the frame and flew through the crowd. The crash is the greatest tragedy in the history of motorsport, with 84 spectators killed and over 120 injured. The next round of the World Sports Car Championship at the Nürburgring was cancelled. The American Automobile Association stopped sanctioning motor sport competitions as it decided that auto racing distracted from its primary goals. The racing teams of MG, Bristol, and Mercedes-Benz, disbanded. The horror of the accident caused some drivers present including Sherwood Johnston to retire from racing. John Fitch was later coaxed out of retirement by his friend Briggs Cunningham to help the Chevrolet Corvette effort at Le Mans in 1960 and later worked to develop traffic safety devices including the water-filled "Fitch barrels." Lance Macklin decided to retire after being involved in a twin fatality accident during the Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod. 60 years after Pierre Levegh died, Reagan revealed a new trend for his other videos by uploading the 24 Hours of Le Mans in January 2016 as part of a mix of closed public roads and a specialist racing circuit. Nicolas Prost claimed pole position at the 2014 Beijing ePrix, which came to a crashing conclusion when Nick Heidfeld had closed the gap to Prost and made an overtaking manoeuvre. Prost attempted to block the move but hit Heidfeld, sending the German into a spin. Heidfeld's car hit the kerb sideways and flipped into the barrier. The collision forced both drivers to retire from the race, and Lucas di Grassi went through to claim victory. Franck Montagny finished second while Daniel Abt was third on track but was penalised 57 seconds for exceeding "the maximum permitted electrical power during the race," which promoted Sam Bird to the final place on the podium. The FIA approved a Formula E calendar of ten races of which London was the 10th and last race. Wandsworth Council eventually approved of the circuit and also announced that it would be a double race on 19th February 2015. There was some controversy over the park circuit which took place in a Grade 2 listed park with opposition to a public park being disrupted to accommodate the races. Battersea Park was closed to the public for four days. After the 2015 Moscow ePrix five driver changes were made. The first of these was that Jaime Alguersuari had been replaced by Fabio Leimer, as the Spaniard was forced to withdraw due to health issues. He was the first of three new Swiss drivers, with Alex Fontana and Simona de Silvestro replacing Vitantonio Liuzzi and Justin Wilson. de Silvestro's appearance in Formula E made her the eighth driver to drive for Andretti, the sixth in the second car, and the third female driver in series history. Also making their first appearance was Sakon Yamamoto and Oliver Turvey, who replaced António Félix da Costa and Charles Pic. Justin Wilson was fatally injured in an accident during the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway on 23rd August 2015. Sage Karam crashed late in the race and sent debris airborne. The nose cone from Karam's crashed car hit Wilson's helmet as he drove through the accident scene, and Wilson's car immediately veered left into the inside wall. Wilson was extricated from his car and airlifted to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown. He was subsequently reported to be in a coma and died on 24th August 2015, which resulted in tributes from the motorsport world being held around the world. NASCAR driver Tony Stewart lent his private plane to Wilson's family so they could fly out to Pennsylvania. This is the first death in IndyCar since 2011. Dan Wheldon died in a crash during the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wheldon was involved in a 15-car accident on the 11th lap. His NASCAR car flew approximately 325 ft cockpit-first and landed back on the racing surface after his head hit a pole lining the track. The carnage and ensuing debris led race officials to almost instantly throw a red flag. Wheldon was extricated from his car by the Holmatro Safety Team and their Las Vegas-based colleagues and was airlifted to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada for his critical injuries. After interviewing the championship contenders, Randy Bernard announced to the fans that Dan Wheldon had died. The 19 drivers who had escaped the crash scene returned to their cars, and every crew member stood silently in their pit boxes. Bryan Herta Autosport's #98 car driven by Alex Tagliani was parked for the tribute. The remaining cars lined up three abreast on pit road, with Ryan Briscoe leading and Davey Hamilton in 19th to the rear. The pace car then led the cars back onto the track while every crew member and person behind the wall moved to the grass separating pit road from the track to watch. Dario Franchitti was awarded the championship after the accident since no points were awarded. Indy Racing League LLC had to delay all official prizegiving until the annual State of INDYCAR speech in February 2012; Dario Franchitti also delayed his celebration of his championship victory. The 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was the first race since Dan Wheldon was killed in an accident at the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was also the first race run with the new ICONIC chassis by Dallara, which is named DW12 in his honor. The race also marked the first time since the end of the 2005 season that Honda will not be IndyCar's exclusive engine supplier. Chevrolet re entered Indy racing for the first time since that season and Lotus was the third supplier. Pole-sitter Will Power lead the field for the majority of the first few laps, with Ryan Briscoe trailing behind him. Briscoe would eventually take the lead after Power pitted in but the pit stop would eventually take him out of contention for the race as he would not near the top spot for the remaining laps. While Ryan Briscoe did hold the top position for eight laps, it was Scott Dixon who was consistently around the top and eventually would inherit the lead on Lap 20. Katherine Legge and Simona de Silvestro faced mechanical problems, as Lotus finished third behind Chevrolet and Honda. Hélio Castroneves would make a bold pass on Dixon, giving him position behind, then leader J.R. Hildebrand. This position would eventually allow him to inherit the lead of the race, as Castroneves would lead the final 26 laps, giving him the victory. Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, 2002 and 2009, making him one of only nine total drivers, and the only active driver, to have won at least three. He finished second to teammate Gil de Ferran in 2003. Castroneves has won four pole positions for the Indy 500, including back-to-back poles in 2009 and 2010 for the first time since Scott Brayton. He is also one of only five drivers – along with Wilbur Shaw, Bill Vukovich and Al Unser being the other four – and the only active driver to win the Indy 500 in back-to back races. Castroneves currently holds IRL IndyCar Series records for most top-ten finishes; Poles; and most consecutive seasons with a race win. In 2009, Castroneves reset the all-time record for most wins and starts by a driver who has not won the National Championship, taking the record from Bill Holland at Indianapolis. His 23rd career win, at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010, broke a tie with his former manager Emerson Fittipaldi for most IndyCar wins by a Brazilian driver. Racing fans have given Castroneves the nickname "Spider-Man" because of his victory celebration, in which he climbs the trackside debris fence. In addition to his native English, Ryan Briscoe speaks Italian and French. He started his career in karting and first raced in 1993. After winning Australian, North American and Italian championships, he moved to Formula Renault in 2000. He won the Italian Championship in 2001, and finished 4th running a limited schedule in the Eurocup. In 2002, Briscoe became test driver for the Toyota Formula One constructor. He started that year racing in the Formula 3000 series but struggled and left his ride after 7 races. He finished the year in the German Formula 3 series by taking 3 podiums in the last 6 rounds. Briscoe won the Formula Three Euroseries in 2003. He became the Toyota Formula One's 'third' driver for the last third of the 2004 season after Ricardo Zonta was called up to replace Cristiano da Matta. He raced for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in the Indy Racing League instead, including a 10th-place finish in the Indianapolis 500. He also made his Rolex Grand-Am début with Ganassi at the 24 Hours of Daytona. He took pole position at Sears Point but struggled on the ovals and was involved in several crashes. On 11th September 2005, Briscoe was involved in a violent crash at Chicagoland Speedway, breaking both clavicles among other injuries. His car climbed on top of the Red Bull entry driven by Alex Barron and went airborne into the catch fencing above the retaining wall and snapping in two. He was released from the hospital on 19th September 2005, and following some initial treatment in the USA moved to the specialist Formula Medicine facility in Viareggio in Italy for the bulk of his rehabilitation. It took 8 weeks for Briscoe to recover from the injuries he sustained in the crash. His official website announced his return to the USA on 14 November 2005. Ryan Briscoe signed to drive for Penske's IndyCar team as a race driver for the 2008 IndyCar Series season, replacing the former driver Sam Hornish, Jr., who started racing full time in Penske's NASCAR team. Briscoe knocked himself out of the Indianapolis 500 along with Danica Patrick when Briscoe came out of the pits and ran into Patrick tearing up her suspension and tearing the front end of Briscoe's car. Patrick and Briscoe were fined $100,000 and placed on probation at the end of the 2008 season. The Queensland State Government had been largely supportive of the Gold Coast Indy 300, while the Gold Coast City Council support at local level had varied in its level of support, even occasionally openly hostile to the event. However, by the late 1990s, the race had become a well attended and popular event on the Gold Coast calendar, which tens of thousands of spectators attend to each of the four days of the IndyCarnival. In the 2002 Honda Indy 300 there was a frightening incident when a nine-car pile-up occurred at the start in very wet conditions. In 2003, a massive thunderstorm struck the area during the Lexmark Indy 300. Ryan Hunter-Reay won the race. The Lexmark Indy 300 was to have been the penultimate race of the 2003 CART World Series season but the 2003 King Taco 500 was cancelled due to a wildfire near the California Speedway venue. In December 2003, the CART World Series declared bankruptcy and went out of business. The King Taco 500 was to have been the nineteenth and final round on 9 November 2003 at the California Speedway in Fontana in California but the event was cancelled due to a series of large wildfires in the San Bernardino Mountains north of the speedway. The wildfire started on 25th October 2003, which was just one of many in the Southern California region at the time. Because of concerns about the air quality, fan and driver safety and worries that safety equipment and volunteers needed for the race would be occupied in fighting the fires, the race was initially postponed on 28th October but when attempts to find a date to reschedule the event failed the King Taco 500 was cancelled. Paul Tracy had already clinched the season championship following the Lexmark Indy 300 at Surfers Paradise. Tracy worked his way up through the North American open-wheel feeder series' culminating with winning the 1990 American Racing Series Championship, and in the process set a record for single season wins with nine. In 1991, Tracy competed in his first IndyCar event at Long Beach and at mid-season became a test driver for Penske Racing but in his first race for the team at Michigan he crashed and broke his left leg (Ouch! That hurt!). 24 years after Paul Tracy crashed and broke his left leg, Reagan revealed a new trend for his other videos by uploading Switzerland in January 2016 as part of the country's long history of armed neutrality. He also announced the cancellation of The Joker Chaos Coaster, which had been due to be uploaded in April 2016 and would have featured the controversial Cat Deeley. Reagan said that The Joker Chaos Coaster was uploaded onto Quintino's YouTube channel on 3rd October 2015 and that he had been the scene of 5 fatal incidents identical in nature where Deeley yelled something that was very controversial. He reverted back to his original plans for 2016 as a result of Quintino's actions and announced that the recently revealed X-Seed 4000 would be uploaded on 1st January 2016. The idea was initially created and developed by Peter Neville. Its proposed 4-kilometre height, 6-kilometre wide sea-base and 800-floor capacity could accommodate 500,000 to 1,000,000 people. The structure would be composed of over 3,000,000 tons of reinforced steel. It was designed by the Taisei Corporation in 1995, as a futuristic environment combining ultra-modern living and interaction with nature. Methods of transportation within X-Seed 4000 would include Maglev trains. The X-Seed 4000 would be required to actively protect its occupants from considerable air pressure gradations and weather fluctuations along its massive elevation. The proposed area is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which X Seed 4000 would be subject to a earthquake. Robotic systems are planned to play a major part in both construction and building maintenance. The Ultima Tower would have a diameter at the base of 1,828.8 metres and comprise 1,500,000,000 square feet of space. Eugene Tsui proposed that the tower would be home to 1 million people and that it would cost an estimated US$150 billion, (Phew! That is a lot of money!) and would use the atmospheric pressure difference between the bottom and the top of the tower to create electricity throughout the tower. The Dubai City Tower is supposed to be 2,400 metres tall. The building is the third tallest building ever fully envisioned after the X-Seed 4000 and the Ultima Tower. If it is uploaded by Reagan on 1st January 2016, the Dubai City Tower will be much taller than any other current man-made structure at almost three times the height of the Burj Khalifa, which would be almost seven times taller than the Empire State Building. The design has 400 floors with a 120 mph vertical bullet train acting as the main elevator. The design is inspired by the Eiffel Tower to better deal with the massive wind forces pushing on it. It has a central core with 6 outer buildings that are connected to the central core every 100 floors. The Dubai City Tower is estimated to consume 37,000 MWh of electricity per year, with a 15 MW peak usage. The power would be mostly supplied by solar, thermal, and wind sources. Kingdom Tower has been scaled down from its initial 1.6 km proposal which was never fully designed to a height of at least 1,000 metres, which is similar to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. At about one kilometre the Kingdom Tower would still be the tallest building or structure in the world to date by standing 591 ft taller than the Burj Khalifa. The Jeddah Economic Company announced that it had appointed an EC Harris/Mace joint venture team to project manage the iconic Kingdom Tower project and that it will be providing commercial and design management for Kingdom Tower's development, which is the same team that worked for The Shard in London. Standing 1,016 ft at its highest point and 1,012 ft at the highest point of its steelwork, The Shard became the tallest building in the European Union in December 2011. The Shard is the second-tallest free standing structure in the United Kingdom. The Pinnacle was originally proposed to rival the height of The Shard but was reduced to a height of 945 ft because of concerns from the Civil Aviation Authority. Several news agencies reported that the Mile-High Tower design had been approved at that height and that the building would cost almost US$30 billion. The design was going to be drastically larger than the current design with a floor area of 3,530,316m and would have utilized futuristic wind aversion and energy producing technology for sustainability. It and the surrounding city of Jeddah would have had the ability to accommodate 80,000 residents and one million visitors. Many things were rumoured about the mile-high designs, such as that it would be so high the top would freeze at night and that helicopters would be used for construction. The Saudi Water Company signed a $587 million supply deal with Jeddah Economic Company for the Kingdom Tower project. The 25-year agreement to supply 156,000 cubic meters of treated and drinking water a day is enough for 62 Olympic-size pools. As of May 2015 Kingdom Tower stands at 75 metres tall with the building expected to be completed in November 2019. Kingdom Tower will reach unprecedented heights, becoming the tallest building in the world as well as the first structure to reach the one-kilometre-high mark. On 17th June, it was confirmed that Wet 'n Wild Orlando will close in December 2016 and will be replaced by a Universal Orlando park named Volcano Bay. According to the Universal Orlando blog, "Wet 'n Wild Orlando has been a place where guests have created wonderful memories since 1977. Wet 'n Wild Orlando has been the birthplace of numerous innovations that are now considered a common part of the water park experience. Today, we are announcing that the park will close permanently on 31st December 2016. However, the groundbreaking spirit that has defined Wet 'n Wild Orlando will continue in the development of Volcano Bay, a next-generation water park that reimagines what it means to be a water park. We’re grateful to our countless fans and team members for making Wet 'n Wild Orlando such a special place for so very long." Construction of Volcano Bay was already underway when Universal Orlando officially announced the project and its name on 28th May. In June 2015 it was revealed that the park would replace Wet 'n Wild Orlando, which is set to close in December 2016. Volcano Bay is being constructed on approximately 53 acres of Cabana Bay Beach Resort's overall property. Artist's concepts show a thrill slide coming from the park's central volcano as well as a wave pool and other water slides. A lazy river and rapids slide are also shown on the plans, although park officials have stated they will reveal all of the park's planned attractions at a later date. Disaster is an interactive attraction following the story line of a fictional movie studio called Disaster Studios, which is run by Frank Kincaid who is played by Christopher Walken. The visitors are asked to be a part of the finale sequence involving an earthquake. Guest are taken into a screening room where Frank Kincaid describes his brand of film making. He then asks visitors to help him complete his film called "Mutha Nature." Guest are ushered into another soundstage where the scenes are shot and audience members that were pre-picked to be involved in the scenes are brought out to perform, and scenes are filmed where a child jumps from one spot to another and lab workers are hit by styrofoam rocks. Kincaid appears on a screen and invites guests to take part in his finale that is being shot next door. Guests enter a subway station, which is modeled after BART's West Oakland Station where they board a subway train. Small plasma screens on the train direct guests on the reactions needed to successfully shoot the scene. Departing the station, guests travel beneath the bay and soon arrive at the Embarcadero subway station. The lights in the station start to flicker and the second unit director tells the people over the intercom that it's just a slight tremor and that there's no problem. Suddenly, the train is shaken by a violent earthquake. West Oakland station is destroyed as large cracks form in the station platforms, sections of the roof collapse, a gasoline tanker falls through the ceiling and bursts into flames, another subway train enters the station and derails and a flash flood of water rushes down the stairs and into the station. Following the sequence, the train heads back to West Oakland station. The TV monitors on the train show the trailer for the fictional Mutha Nature. The trailer stars an uncredited Dwayne Johnson as a park ranger who tries to save lives during a series of ecological disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and green screen technology that allows the trailer to incorporate scenes shot by guests. Disaster uses Musion Eyeliner technology for the Frank Kincaid character, which is similar to the Pepper's Ghost effect that has been used in attractions such as Haunted Mansion and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Walt Disney World Resort as well as Universal's Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure. Musion projects a high definition image onto the floor and onto a giant piece of acrylic glass, giving it the illusion that it is lifelike. It also gives the ability to interact with objects on stage, as can be seen in many parts of the attraction. On 27th October 2015 it was announced that, according to the Universal Orlando blog, Twister...Ride it Out would be closing on 2 November to make room for Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. Universal Parks & Resorts entered talks with tornado meteorologists to discover the actual sights, sound and feel of the experience to accurately simulate a tornado. Universal originally planned to open the attraction in March 1998 but several large and killer tornadoes occurred in Florida, which delayed Twister Ride it Out's opening until 4th May 1998. The station for Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is quite different than traditional stations. As the train enters, it slows down but does not stop. There is a moving sidewalk on both sides of the station moving at the same speed as the train so riders can load and unload. Riders have 45 seconds to take their seat and lower the lap-bar and make their song choice. The train immediately begins to climb the 167 ft vertical chain lift, and the song that the rider picked begins to play while the on-ride video recorder begins recording. The train reaches the top of the lift and drops back to the ground reaching a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour. The train goes through a non-inverting loop. Then the train makes an upward right turn into one of the several mid-course brakes. It then drops back down going through a hole in a wall before entering a left upward helix. This section of the coaster is nicknamed The Treble Clef. The train enters a quick element nicknamed "The Jump Cut," similar to a non-inverting corkscrew. The train then drops back down before climbing back up into the second mid-course brakes. Following a small drop to the left, it travels straight before making a right turn, followed by a left and then another right leading into the third set of mid-course brakes. Another drop is followed by the brakes leading into an S-bend turn. The train then travels into an inclined loop, then the train enters the fourth set of brakes after going back up. Finally, the train drops back down, and goes over a small hill before entering the final brake run, where the train enters the station and the riders song ends. The initial announcement said that there would be 5 categories of songs. The full track list was not released until 6th July 2009, with Universal Studios Florida unveiling 30 songs that can be played during the course of the 1 minute 39 second Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Attached to the restraint is a small screen containing the logo of the ride and 5 categories of songs the rider can pick from. The song that the rider picked begins as the train climbs the vertical lift hill but it may not begin at the beginning and end early as the total cycle time of the roller coaster is 1 minute and 39 seconds. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit operates with seven stadium-style seating X-Car trains. Each train has two cars that can hold six riders each for a total of twelve riders per train. On the head rest of each seat there are two speakers that play music during the ride. The speakers have been designed so that only the rider's selected music track will be audible. On the restraint is a small touch screen where riders can choose which song they want to listen to during the ride. Additionally, the trains are equipped with multi-coloured lights that can be seen during the night. Planning began for a new theme park adjacent to Universal Studios Florida in 1991. By the end of 1993, it was decided that one area of the future Islands of Adventure theme park would be themed after Marvel Comics with a Hulk theme being selected for a thrill ride. The designers of the ride wanted to simulate being fired out of a cannon, which subsequently set about prototyping a launch system. Universal Creative and MTS Systems Corporation had a working prototype in January 1995. Methods to achieve this acceleration were investigated into mid-1996. On-site construction of Islands of Adventure was underway in 1997, with Superior Rigging & Erection being responsible for erecting the supports and track of the roller coaster. On 28th May 1999, Islands of Adventure officially opened to the public with The Incredible Hulk being one of its début attractions. 15 years later Universal Orlando announced that The Incredible Hulk would undergo major enhancement and refurbishment work. The Incredible Hulk closed on 8th September 2015 and is expected to reopen in summer 2016. According to the Universal Orlando blog, "We want to let you know that The Incredible Hulk will be getting some great new enhancements to its storyline and ride vehicles and the overall experience, which means we’ll close the attraction beginning on 8th September. It will roar back to life next summer and we’ll keep you posted on the details. Be sure to check out the other great, thrilling, experiences at Universal’s Islands of Adventure including Doctor Doom’s Fearfall and Dragon Challenge. I’ve been lucky enough to get a sneak peek at plans for The Incredible Hulk, and I can tell you that the overall experience is going to feel more immersive and high-tech. But don’t worry - the attraction will still have the same 'Incredible' personality that makes it one of America’s most popular coasters. We’ll be sharing cool new updates over time so be sure to subscribe to the blog on the sidebar or sign up here to get emails on all Universal Orlando news." Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, Valravn will be the third Dive Coaster to be built in the United States of America. The ride is themed to the valravn, which is a supernatural bird from Danish folklore. Touted as the tallest and longest and fastest dive coaster of its kind in the world, Valravn is scheduled to open in 2016. After leaving the station the train turns 180 degrees to the left, then begins to ascend its 223 ft tall chain lift hill. Once the train reaches the top, it turns right, slightly hangs over the first drop and pauses for four seconds. The train then drops 214 ft at a 90-degree angle where it reaches 75 miles per hour, its maximum speed. The train then enters a 165 ft Immelmann loop before rising into the mid-course brake run. The train then goes through a second drop at 125 ft. Out of the drop, the train enters a dive loop that leads into its third and final inversion, a 270-degree corkscrew-like roll. The train encounters an airtime hill before turning left and entering the final brake run. Valravn's entrance and location will be located on a new midway stretching from the Blue Streak area to near Celebration Plaza. Valravn is a Dive Coaster model manufactured by Swiss roller coaster firm Bolliger & Mabillard. Notably, Valravn is the 100th roller coaster produced by Bolliger & Mabillard and the fourth to be built at Cedar Point, following Raptor and GateKeeper. It will be the 10th Dive Coaster to be built in the world and the third in the United States with the other two being at Busch Gardens' parks. Valravn will open in 2016, which will have broken six Dive Coaster records and help to break four amusement park records. Valravn will hold records for the following: Tallest Dive Coaster, Fastest Dive Coaster, Longest Dive Coaster, Longest drop on a Dive Coaster, Most inversions on a Dive Coaster and Highest inversion on a Dive Coaster. Top Thrill Dragster's train is launched with not enough speed to clear the crest, which stops short of the top and roll back down the hill in reverse. On very rare occasions a combination of the weight distribution of the train, the force of the launch, and the wind can stall a train on the top of the tower. What happens next is a mechanic takes the elevator to the top and pushes the train down the hill. This has only happened three times with passengers on board. In November 2010, Formula Rossa at Ferrari World broke the record for fastest roller coaster, with a top speed of 149.1 miles per hour. Top Thrill Dragster is negatively affected by unfavourable weather conditions as both a high altitude and high velocity ride. "Rain, high winds and lightning" may result in the closing of the ride depending on the severity. It will close in high winds and any kind of precipitation. There is no minimum age requirement, but passengers must meet the miniumum requirements of 52 inches and a maximum of 78 inches to ride. Some persons over a certain weight/waist size will not be permitted to ride Top Thrill Dragster if the seat and lapbar harness cannot accommodate them. Passengers on Top Thrill Dragster may not bring any loose articles onto the 5-car train and will be required to wear shirts and footwear. Headphones must be removed before boarding. Passengers are advised that they must not ride Top Thrill Dragster if they have "a history of recent surgery, heart trouble slash high blood pressure, back trouble or any other condition that may be aggravated by riding or who are pregnant." At around 8:20 PM on 14th July 2004, four people were struck by flying debris while riding the coaster. Reports indicated that its metal cable frayed as the train was being launched. Shards of metal sheared off of it and struck the riders as the train launched. The riders were left with abrasions mainly on their arms and one rider had cuts on his face. The injured ones were treated at the park's first aid station, with two of them later seeking further medical attention on their own. Demon Drop debuted at Cedar Point in 1983 and was very popular as it was located at the very front of the park. On 21st October 2009, Cedar Point officials announced that Demon Drop would be moved to Knott's Berry Farm. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's fans spotted pieces similar to Demon Drop at its park in Pennsylvania. In December 2009, it was announced that Demon Drop would be relocated to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, not Knott's Berry Farm. Demon Drop can accommodate up to four riders and consists of three main sections; the loading and unloading station, the lift tower and the drop and run-out track. Riders are loaded into a gondola-type car near ground level at the station and secured with over the shoulder harnesses. The gondola is then moved backwards horizontally to the rear base of the lift tower and then climbs vertically to the top of the tower in 7.2 seconds. Once there, it slides forward and hangs over the drop track for a few seconds. Without warning, the car is released. Riders drop 60 ft in less than two seconds before experiencing the deceleration g-forces as the car enters a pull-out curve which transitions the vertical fall into a horizontal brake run. As the gondola rolls through the brake run to slow down the riders are facing the sky. Once it stops at the end of the run a mechanism swings the top of the car down, and the gondola moves in reverse at a downward 45 degree angle to another track where it returns to an upright position. It then returns to the station in reverse traveling below the brake run track. Hercules was closed on 8th September 2003 and was replaced by Hydra the Revenge in 2005. Many riders claimed that Hercules was an extremely rough ride, which was most likely the reason for Hercules's low ridership and subsequent closing and dismantlement in 2003. It was so rough that it was given the name, "Hurt's your knees." The Romans adapted the Greek hero's iconography and myths for their literature and art under the name Hercules. In later Western art and literature and in popular culture Hercules is more commonly used than Heracles as the name, which enabled later artists and writers to pick and choose how to represent him. Hercules is known for his many adventures which took him to the far reaches of the Greco-Roman world. One cycle of these adventures became canonical as the "Twelve Labours," but the list has variations. A series of 19 Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The actors who played Hercules in these films were Gordon Scott, Mickey Hargitay, Reg Park and Peter Lupus. A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the name of Hercules in their title were not intended to be movies about Hercules. 12 years after Hercules at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom closed, Reagan revealed a new trend for his other videos by uploading Hercules in January 2016 as part of a representation of Hercules in the later tradition. Hercules had a greater number of "deeds on the side" that has been a popular subject for art, which includes holding up the world for Atlas. Zeus condemned Atlas to stand at the western edge of Gaia and hold up The Heavens on his shoulders, to prevent the two from resuming their primordial embrace. Thus, he was Atlas Telamon, "enduring Atlas," and became a doublet of Coeus, the embodiment of the celestial axis around which the heavens revolve. A common misconception today is that Atlas was forced to hold the Earth on his shoulders but Classical art shows Atlas holding the celestial spheres, not a globe. Atlas attempted to trick Hercules into carrying the sky permanently by offering to deliver the apples himself. Hercules pretended to agree to Atlas's offer, asking only that Atlas take the sky again for a few minutes so Hercules could rearrange his cloak as padding on his shoulders. When Atlas set down the apples and took the heavens upon his shoulders again, Hercules took the apples and ran away, a reference to Runaway (U & I) by Galantis. Hatfield railway station is currently being redeveloped to include a new bus interchange and taxi rank, multi-story car park and three new retail units as well as step-free access to all platforms. Work on the £9 million project began in 2013 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2015. Hatfield has waiting rooms on all platforms, with extra shelters provided at various points along the platforms as well as a canopy on Platform 1. There is a small café-shop style business, "Chuggs," and three new retail units are scheduled to open in the new station building in the second half of 2015. There are three platforms in total. Platform 1 is a side platform facing the Up Slow line and used by London-bound trains, whilst platforms 2-3 face the Down Fast and Down Slow lies respectively, the latter being used by the majority of northbound trains. Hatfield has a "Fast Ticket" machine as well as a standard touch screen machine on either side of the building. Hatfield also has many vending machines throughout the station and a photo booth inside the booking hall, which also contains a separate disabled toilet. On 31st October Reagan uploaded Focus and revealed that he expects to finish his YouTube career in 2022. He had been linked with a move to retire but he signed a new three-year deal with YouTube, taking him up to 2018. That could mean Reagan retiring from YouTube in 2022, aged 22 - with a maximum of 2,000 videos to his name. Reagan will introduce a stunning camera angle from the Season 3 episode "All at Sea" in Bexhill, in which the narrator says that the horizon of Bexhill is packed with sails flapping against the blue skies. Hitler tells Thomas that he wishes he could sail to far away lands but Thomas says to Hitler, "Oh no James! You saved the hot air balloon!" Hitler hangs up the phone. Harold tells the two characters that the boats are there for the Regatta and that it's his job to hover around in case he's needed. Hitler asks Harold if he's ever been to the horizon, and Harold says that he can land on ships, anywhere, anytime. But there is worse to come. That night, a huge storm sweeps across Bexhill and causes havoc: trees are blown onto the line. Percy says that he doesn't feel safe in the Smelters but KDA ignores him and plays Turn the Music Louder to stop the storm from hitting Brighton. Thomas feels sorry for KDA and wishes there was something he could do to make things better again by saying, "Yes, indeed. But what? We can't mend broken trees." Galantis put things right at the last minute by playing 10.87 seconds of the Kaskade remix of Runaway (U & I), which is accompanied by a thumping sound that is repeated for the entire scene where the children run for cover due to a spring rain shower. Hitler speculates that the Soviets might have captured the railway bridge over the Oder but Thomas says to Hitler, "Oh no James! You saved the hot air balloon!" Hitler hangs up the phone. He tells Ariana Grande what she wants but Grande sings from the word "Hey" right through to the letter "Y." Hitler looks at Grande and a 1.79 second picture of Bexhill is used causing Hitler to hang up the phone. That night, Thomas the Tank Engine gets Bexhill into trouble for causing KDA to play Turn the Music Louder. The flight attendant on board Southern Airways Flight 242 tells the 81 passengers to brace for impact but it's too late Category:Switzerland